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Q&A with Ty Dillon

6/20/2016

 

By Jeff Pitts

Meet Ty Dillon. He’s the grandson of NASCAR legend Richard Childress, the man who famously owned the No. 3 car while Dale Earnhardt was making racing history. Ty grew up in Winston-Salem North Carolina and says southerners know how to grow corn down south, too, just not quite like they do here.

Ty is in town for the NASCAR XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen on Father’s Day Sunday, June 19.

He recently spoke with CV for an online Q&A exclusive.

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Welcome to Des Moines.

Yeah man, I’ve raced here tons… Probably one of the most raced at tracks for me. I’ve won an ARCA race here and I’ve ran four truck races and this will be my sixth Nationwide race.

Is there anything that stands out about the track?

It’s just so unique. It has the short track mentality of racing but it also has some speedway tendencies about it, too.

What are your goals this year?

To win the championship, I think it’s pretty simple for us. Win races and win the championship. (This is my) third year coming around (on the Xfiniti Series) and I feel like I have a lot of experience. And I know what I need to do to get it done. It’s just a matter of executing week in and week out.

How is it running the No. 3 car?

It’s great man. The fans have been really receptive and they really love it when you run well. So it’s been really fun and it’s cool to be able to honor such an important number in NASCAR’s history.

Did you grow up watching Dale?index

Yeah, yeah, definitely. You know being from RCR (Richard Childress Racing) my grandfather being Richard, being owner of the No. 3 car, it’s what we grew up cheering for.

What do like to do outside of the racecar?

Outside of the racecar I do a lot of mountain biking, I’m big into sports I love football, baseball, basketball, all the sports. I play all of them, like I said I do a lot of mountain biking and a lot of hunting and a lot of outdoor stuff. (And) I have a wonderful wife.

When did you get married?

Almost… A year and a half ago.

So the honeymoon’s over?

Life’s a honeymoon if you make it that way.

Changing gears… Is it this hot everywhere you go?

Definitely during the summer. Everywhere gets hot during the summer. It’s one of the hotter tracks.

How hot does it get in that car?

It’s usually 20-30 degrees hotter than the outside ambient temperature is.

20-30 degrees?

Yeah.

Wow. So how much do you have to drink in a given … how long does a race last?

Usually 3-4 hours. So you have to drink a lot of water. I start preparing usually on Wednesday if we race on Saturday.

Who goes through more water you or the car?

Me I hope, if the car loses water it’s going to be a short day. (Laughs)

I noticed you had a lot of good blood lines?

My grandfather is Richard Childress who owned Dale Earnhardt’s car back in the day, (he) owned  the No. 3 car, and owned Richard Childress racing. My dad raced in Xfinity racing back in the day, and my brother’s racing in the Cup Series and has won an Xfinity Championship so I come from a long line of racers.

Any up-and-comers behind you?

I’m the youngest one. (Laughs)

You’re the youngest?

Yep. Until we start having kids one day. I’m the last one for a while.

Anything you want to say to the people in Des Moines?

Come on out and watch the race. And cheer for ME.

 

 

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